Deathwatch Journal

by Ian Rankin, Jimmy Chisholm (Narrator)

Saughton Prison, Edinburgh. 1962.

Thomas Scott is a prison warder, assigned to watch over a man condemned to hang for the murder of his wife. As the two men talk over a number of days, Scott begins to doubt whether his prisoner is guilty of the crime. With the execution date looming, can he find proof of his suspicions? And at what cost?

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, British Literature

Audiobook

Published December 7, 2017

About the author

AKA Jack Harvey.

Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987; the Rebus books are now translated into 22 languages and are bestsellers on several continents.

Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow. He is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, and he received two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, and Edinburgh.

A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts, on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianrankin

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description: Thomas Scott is a prison warder, assigned to watch over a man condemned to hang for the murder of his wife. As the two men talk over a number of days, Scott begins to doubt whether his prisoner is guilty of the crime. With the execution date looming, can he find proof of his suspicions? And at what cost?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b098jm8h

1/5. A new crime serial specially written for Book at Bedtime by the best-selling author of the Rebus novels. Set in Edinburgh in 1962 a prison guard watches over a man sentenced to hang for the murder of his wife.
Read by Jimmy Chisholm. Producer Bruce Young.

2/5. Prison guard Thomas Scott investigates the story of condemned man

3/5. Scott discovers Telfer's wife was having an affair - could this have been a motive for murder?

4/5. The date of execution is set. Scott and Gracie Cullen are convinced of Telfer's innocence - but rumours begin to spread about their relationship.

5/5. Telfer's appointment with the hangman is imminent as Scott is taken to see the Edinburgh gangster Jack Mulholland.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime:

A new crime serial specially written for Book at Bedtime by the best-selling author of the Rebus novels.

1/5. Set in Edinburgh in 1962 a prison guard watches over a man sentenced to hang for the murder of his wife.

2/5. Prison guard Thomas Scott investigates the story of condemned man
William Telfer - and begins to believe he's innocent.

3/5. Scott discovers Telfer's wife was having an affair - could this
have been a motive for murder?

4/5. The date of execution is set. Scott and Gracie Cullen are
convinced of Telfer's innocence - but rumours begin to spread
about their relationship.

5/5. Telfer's appointment with the hangman is imminent as Scott
is taken to see the Edinburgh gangster Jack Mulholland.

Read by Jimmy Chisholm. Producer Bruce Young.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b098ht06

[Vasilis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short, but enjoyable Ian Rankin story. The ending was a bit of a disappointment, but I suppose if this is a true story, it's rare to get a satisfactory ending with a true story!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4:
1/5. A crime serial specially written for Radio 4 by the best-selling
author of the Rebus novels. Set in Edinburgh in 1962, a prison
guard watches over a man sentenced to hang for the murder of his wife.
Read by Jimmy Chisholm. Producer Bruce Young.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b098...

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This stand alone radio drama from crime writer Ian Rankin takes us back to Edinburgh in 1962. There are some interesting characters, but it's not in the same league as his excellent novels featuring John Rebus. It's narrated very well by Jimmy Chisholm, but the tale itself failed to engage me.

[David Highton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An audiobook set in 1962, as a prison warder starts to doubt the guilt of a condemned man he is watching. Rankin discloses at the end that the warder is his grandfather and the story features the woman who would become his grandmother. William Telfer was the penultimate prisoner hanged in Scotland before the death penalty was withdrawn in 1965

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

17 OCT 2017 - recommendation through Dear Bettie. Many Thanks!

Listen here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b098ht06

A very good listen-to.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a story for “book at bedtime” on Radio 4. I like this story quite a bit. I thought the concept of a prison guard watching over a person on death row was quite interesting. Having spoken to corrections officers who work on death row, this seems to play into some of the issues that they face. I do think the ending which works could be a little disappointing for people because it doesn't have an upside.

[Druss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Went in blind and glad I did.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The death penalty in the UK was abolished in the 1960s but every time there’s a high profile murder, the topic comes up once again.
The Deathwatch Journal, set in the early 60s, is the story of a condemned man and his jailor. The jailor has got to know the prisoner and believes that he really is innocent…
At first I was disappointed by the ending but I’ve been thinking about it now for a few days and have decided that it’s a perfect contribution to the death penalty debate.
I’ve never read anything by Ian Rankin before, and this short, skillfully narrated, audiobook was a great introduction. I’ll definitely be reading more of his work.

[Michael Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cleverly created story about the relationship between a warden in Saughton Prison Edinburgh and a man condemned to be hung in 1962. The warden begins to believe In the prisoner’s innocence and starts to investigate, thereby jeopardising his marriage and career.

This excellent story captures the period just before the abolition of capital punishment and of life in Edinburgh in the early 60s. An excellent BBC radio medium/ short story which is well worth a read

[JoJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story with moral elements that I enjoyed.

[Gordon Mcghie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Deathwatch Journal was written for BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime and it is perfectly pitched – both for the audience and also for the intended hour of listening.

The story of a condemned man, William Telfer, who has been found guilty of murdering his wife and is sentenced to hang in 1960’s Edinburgh. The story is also that of his guard, Thomas Scott, who spends time with Telfer and begins to question whether his prisoner is really guilty of the crime for which he is due to hang.

Despite being a murder tale there is no graphic violence and not explosive set pieces. We follow Thomas Scott to his work where he will chat with Telfer (who tries to elicit information from Scott to learn more about his guard) and Scott records Telfer’s disposition, activities and diet in a Deathwatch Journal.

As the two men chat Scott becomes less inclined to believe Telfer may be guilty of murder. He starts a private investigation, looking into some elements of Telfer’s trial which left unanswered questions. His digging will cause ripples and it is not too long before awkward conversations will take place with individuals who are quite happy to see Telfer hang.

The story plays out in very enjoyable fashion and the 1.25 hour running time slipped away all too quickly. Away from the prison we get a look at Scott’s personal life and a nostalgic nod to the 1960’s lifesyles and the exciting prospect of a “new town” being built to the West of Edinburgh.

The Deathwatch Journal is narrated by Jimmy Chisholm and his voice lends its-self perfectly to the tale. The tough guys from Edinburgh’s harder days are suitably intimidating. Thomas Scott comes across as an amiable likeable character and Mr Chisholm comfortably manages (where other narrators have not fared so well) to give all the characters their own “voice”.

I listened to the Deathwatch Journal without reading the blurb beforehand and enjoyed the mystery of the tale – the afterward was also an unexpected surprise which made me appreciate the story even more (cryptic – but sorry…no spoilers).

Ideal late night listening and well worth setting aside a couple of evenings to enjoy The Deathwatch Journal.

[Amanda Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gripping original story for BBC Radio 4 by award-winning crime writer Ian Rankin, written for the landmark Radio 4 Book at Bedtime slot

Saughton Prison, Edinburgh. 1962.

Prison guard Thomas Scott watches over a condemned man sentenced to hang for the murder of his wife.

His prisoner is a guilty man, that’s for sure. William Telfer has done enough bad things in his life. And Scott has been in his job long enough to know that guilty men often proclaimed their innocence right up until the moment the noose was placed around their necks. But as they wait out the days until his execution, Scott begins to suspect that Telfer is innocent of this murder.

An innocent man could be hanged by the neck until dead. And his jailer doesn’t know what to do about it…

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was presented in 5, 15-minute segments. I guess I'd give it 2.5 stars. The story seemed a little thin, which explains why there were only 5 segments. I thought the author handled the story well, it just wasn't that interesting getting from the start to the end.

[JCS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A prison guard has doubts about whether the condemned prisoner is guilty. Set in Edinburgh in 1962 this follows the prison guards attempts to find out what really happened. At the end we are told the story is based on the real events and relatives of the author are included.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is not a lot to this story action-wise, but I fiound it compelling. Inspired by the actual journal, it offers a little juicy true crime in a hopefully non harmful way. Bonus for great narration!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Specially written for The Book at Bedtime on Radio 4 by Ian Rankin.

This short story sees a prison warder watching over a condemned man, and coming to believe his charge's innocence.

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Bettie for this recommendation xx

[Lucia Chaplin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ian Rankin as good as usual, what more is there to say?

[Nomad nimrod · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring.

[Michelle Dodd (Creaney) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened. BBC Sounds.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stand alone short story. Well read and easy to listen to.